Getting ready for Game 6: Sharks emphasize need to end series tonight, more on chirping from bench

DENVER — The closest thing to news this morning is a bit of information the Sharks hope has absolutely no relevance to their lives.

If there is a Game 7 in this series between San Jose and the Colorado Avalanche, it will start at 7:30 p.m. PDT on Monday night.

That from the NHL. From the Sharks, of course, all the emphasis is on closing things out tonight rather than having to deal with a Game 7 in a series San Jose now leads 3-2.

Two years ago, then-Coach Ron Wilson found himself in a similar situation against the Calgary Flames and took an approach — at least publicly — that none of us in the media have forgotten: Hey, we have two chances to advance to the next round. No extra pressure on us to win Game 6.

That was true, of course. But it was also the kind of thing no coach or player ever says. As things played out, the Sharks lost Game 6, then eliminated Calgary in Game 7 — so Wilson was right. Still.

Well, nobody was saying anything like that today. Nope, whether it was Rob Blake or Joe Thornton or Todd McLellan doing the talking, the emphasis was on getting things wrapped up tonight.

“When you have a team down like we do, you want to finish them off,” Thornton said. “It’s a very important game.”

I asked McLellan if there was a danger his players would look at it as if tonight was simply the first of two chances to advance.

“I think,” the coach said, “the leadership is strong enough — Rob Blake has won a Stanley Cup, Dan Boyle has won a Stanley Cup — they know they need to take advantage of tonight, not two days from now.”

McLellan was succinct in summing up where things ultimately stand as far as the Sharks or the Avalanche advancing to the next round.

****On the Colorado side, they were taking the tack that all the pressure was on the Sharks, that as a No. 8 seed they could be loose, but the Sharks had all those expectations on them and how they certainly wouldn’t want to deal with a Game 7 on Monday night when anything could happen.

****The TV cameras caught a scene on the Sharks bench during Game 5 that was pretty telling.

Just after roughing penalties to Scott Hannan and Jamie McGinn, just after Cody McLeod cross-checked Douglas Murray into Evgeni Nabokov, the cameras showed Ryane Clowe, Joe Pavelski and Dany Heatley jawing away with players on the Colorado bench.

“Was it anything vulgar?” was Clowe’s first response when I brought it up today.

No, at least I didn’t think so. But I was wondering if that scene typifies the fact that this Sharks team is maybe a little different from those in the recent past, that there’s more attitude out there.

“Maybe,” Clowe said. “It’s not only the chirping, When you back it up it makes a difference, too. Guys play with a little chip on our shoulder, a little edgy. We have a little bit more grit, for sure. Chirping’s just a part of the game but it keeps you into it.”

****Based on lines at the morning skate, no changes from Game 5:

Marleau-Thornton-Mitchell

Clowe-Pavelski-Setoguchi

Heatley-Couture-Malhotra

McGinn-Nichol-Helminen

Jed Ortmeyer, Brad Staubitz and Jay Leach were the last players to leave the ice. Defenseman Niclas Wallin did not skate.

David Pollak

David Pollak has been following the NHL forever and at the Mercury News as an editor or reporter since 1987. For almost a decade he wrote about the Sharks as the paper's Fan in the Stands before joining the sports department in 2001. He became the Sharks beat writer before the 2007-08 season and began this blog at that time. You can also follow him on Twitter at @PollakOnSharks.